A World of Monsters. (An Encyclopedia on the creatures of the world of Null, Original Writing.)

[TripleMRed]

Cackler.

[Sketches depict an enormous armored wyvern like beast. However, it has the tell tale armored, eyeless face of the native Hydras of Null, and it seems this is a flying species derived from them. Sketches show it flying in small packs, casting down bolts of lightning from its mouth to targets down below, the lighting powerful enough to forge entire monuments of glass from wherever on the ground they hit. Some sketches resemble more medieval artworks, depicting Stonecutters in armor riding atop true Wyverns battling the creatures in the skies.]

(A note is attached. It reads 'Every Nation has a beast that is their arch nemesis. Royalbacks have the Jaco Killer, Bughunters have the Slycers, and us Stonecutters? We've got these things. Flying tanks with a sick sense of humor who love nothing more than to rain lightning down on those that happen to be in its way. What a bunch of janked off jerks!')

Scientific Name Translation: Eyeless Sky Killer.

Average Size: Ranges between 15-29 meters long from nose to tail tip, highly variable on a specimen by specimen basis due to age and diet.

Average Weight: Average between 20-75 tons, depending on specimen.

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: Females have sharper horns and edges on their armored plating..

Habitat Range: Predominantly in Stonecutter Territory, but can be found in mountain ranges all over the Arisa continent..

Summary:​

The flexibility and mutability of the Hydra and is ability to fill in any niche if given the time to adapt and remold itself is truly fascinating, even admirable. However, not all results of this mutability are relatively benign additions to the ecosystem. Indeed, one of the most infamous divergences from the mainline Hydra family line is the Cackler, an enormous, Wyvern like beast that has terrorized mountain based societies for millennia. None are more familiar, or more embittered, against these beasts than those of the Stonecutter Nation, who due to their mining heavy culture and history, are deeply entrenched in the extensive networks of mountains in their homelands. [A note is attached. It reads 'There's nothing that puts the fear of thunder storms into a kid's hearts like the periodic Cackler Raid Sirens. My birthplace was decked out with anti air equipment, and those things made a game of attacking through the AA fire.]

Hulking in size, the Cackler gets its name due to its signature 'laugh', an ethereal cackling noise they produce both to communicate and as a signal of satisfaction when they locate prey to attack. Cacklers are omnivores with a preference for meat, making them historically massive problems for those that raised livestock in the territories they claimed as their patrol regions. This problem was only worsened as the Cacklers would kill more than was needed out of a sense of amusement, as they can feed upon a single Oliphant or Apo easily but always tend to kill two or three per attack. With the Oliphant beef industry being a prized commodity for trade in Stonecutter history alongside their mining products, this quickly and easily set both parties into a long and brutal feud between one another. If there is one element of their sadistic games that is to our collective benefit, they do not discriminate or care what species catches their attention. As such, things such as Spider Ant or Dream Lotus invasions can find themselves targeted by Cacklers just as much as their targets.

Biologically, the Cackler is covered head to toe in heavy armor plating, extremely durable that in the modern day, direct anti-tank rail weaponry is required to reliably penetrate all but the most fragile portions such as the relatively vulnerable wings. On its own, its weight and mass would prevent it from flying with the size of the wings it has, however, as with many creatures in its size and weight range to achieve flight, Cacklers consume Floatstone in their diet early on in their lives until they assimilate it into special sets of organs dubbed 'flight glands' that assist such heavy creatures in being able to achieve and maintain flight despite their size and density. For Cacklers in particular, they levy this to make themselves extremely durable while still being able to fly, albeit at a slower top speed and acceleration than most. [A note is attached. It reads 'You'd think that would make them easier targets, but I've seen the fights against these things in the air. What they lack in speed, they make up for in agility. They can turn on a dime like nobodies business, and their long necks means they can aim behind themselves to blast a volt on anything chasing them.']

In addition to armor, claws, a heavy tail and crushing bite, the Cackler is also in possession of organs that process Fulgerite into a usable form for use in ranged combat. Unlike true dragons who can make their own elemental breath weapons indefinitely without outside assistance, Cacklers require periodic 'reloading' by consuming Fulgerite crystals or, in a pinch, being struck by lighting. This is a non issue in their stormy, mountainous homes, but it does mean they are running on a limit of shots outside of their preferred territories. They can even use their electrical abilities to electrify their bodies into a sort of shield, one that can even destroy incoming missiles when active. These lightning blasts are so concentrated, that a direct hit can vaporize meters of vehicle armor plating, making any vehicle that is not on the move an almost guaranteed kill. Anti Air units in territories with Cacklers are armored with specialized repeating gauss cannons and anti armor missiles to bring down Cacklers, forcing them to a ground fight where their threat is more limited. [A note is attached, reading ''Limited'. You ever get chased by a grounded Cackler? There's nothing 'limited' about that!']

The biggest rivalry in nature they have is with Wyverns, as the flying dragon relatives meet their distant cousins in the skies in fierce duels until one or both parties are dead or driven off. With Wyvern riding being extremely common among the peoples living around mountain regions, Wyvern Cavalry Corps even to this day find themselves leading their steeds against their mutually hated rivals. [A note is attached. It reads 'Ohoho, don't ask WCC jockies what they think of Cacklers. You'd think they were sailors with what comes out of their mouths!']

In terms of reproduction, it is as simple as it can get: During mating season, males and females join together in non-committal relationships before separating, the females spawning anywhere from 4-7 young per gestation. These young Cacklers are at their most vulnerable, making them ideal targets for Wyverns seeking to kill their hated enemy, causing nests to be protected around the clock. Nesting on their mountains of choice, Cacklers are born and raised high in the cloud layers, observing their mothers movements and mimicking them until they are old and strong enough to fly on their own. Around the time they first learn to fly, they are ready to begin following their mothers on her hunts to learn how to survive on their own, as well as learning the 'games' of attacking and blasting prey down below with near impunity. Once they reach full maturity, they depart to seek out new mountains and Cackler communities to become a part of.

Cacklers are the bane of mountain communities across Arisa, and the Stonecutters in particular have been their favored targets for untold centuries. The two sides bitterly fight one another, the Cacklers mountain homes near unassailable due to the inability to bring about the heaviest firepower under the threat of destabilizing the local geology and ecosystem with the destruction of whole mountains, causing something of a bitter stalemate of sorts. Still, as hated as they are, Stonecutters also use Cackler iconography commonly in their armored aerial vehicles as something of a send up and mockery of their biological foes. [Attached is a note. It depicts a sketch of an Oros woman in a flight armor, helmet in her hands, next to a gunship, smiling at the viewer. Words follow, reading 'Love you, Ma!']